Palourdes Au Beurre Will Change The Way You Eat Clams Forever

Last weekend we visited George of I Heart Food to remake one restaurant favorite. “One Of the reasons I started cooking at home is that I wanted to be able to recreate dishes enjoyed while eating out. This clam recipe is my take on a clams dish we had in Phoebus, VA. They use their own bacon that is cured for a year. I don’t do that myself so I settled on regular, thick cut bacon. Enjoy this with some nice, crusty bread that’s been brushed with olive oil and grilled or toasted.”

1 stick of Butter

1 cup of white wine

1 cup clam stock

1 cup chicken stock

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup of cream

3 tablespoons chopped Parsley

1 small Lemon

Zest from the lemon

1/2 an medium onion

1/2 lb Bacon, cooked soft, roughly chopped

3-5 lbs of (Little Neck used here) Clams

Pepper to taste (the clam liquor will be salty enough)

To get the cup of clam liquor you need for this, you’ll get from the clams you cook. It’s easy:

Fill a stock pot with about half an inch of wine and then place the steamer and clams in. Turn to high and cover, steam for 15 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when they open. Discard any clams still closed after steaming.

You should have a couple of cups of clam stock in the bottom of the pot. Don’t throw it out! Freeze what you don’t use in the recipe for later.

To make the sauce:

Heat a large sauce pan to medium-high, place butter in pan.

Add garlic and onion and saute till translucent, about 4 minutes.

Add chicken stock, wine and clam stock. Switch heat to High until boiling, then reduce to medium. Simmer and reduce for approximately 20 minutes or until reduced to close half volume. (At this point you can serve it at whatever consistency you like, add a tiny bit of flour if you want it thicker.)